The series has been distributed by Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Pictures worked on the first two films. While the Transformers film series has received negative to mixed reception, Bumblebee received positive reviews. Despite its critical reception, the Transformers film series has generally been successful at the box office, with Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction grossing over $1 billion each; the latter was the highest-grossing film of 2014. It is the 14th-highest-grossing film series, with a total of $5.28 billion grossed over seven films to date.
Steven Spielberg, a fan of the comics and toys,[5] signed on as executive producer in 2004. John Rogers wrote the first draft, which pitted four Autobots against four Decepticons,[9] and featured the Ark spaceship.[10]Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, fans of the cartoon,[11] were hired to rewrite the script in February 2005.[12] Spielberg suggested that "a boy and his car" should be the focus.[13] This appealed to Orci and Kurtzman because it conveyed themes of adulthood and responsibility, "the things that a car represents in the United States".[14] The characters of Sam and Mikaela were the sole point of view given in Orci and Kurtzman's first draft.[15] The Transformers had no dialogue, as the producers feared talking robots would look ridiculous. The writers felt that even if it would look silly, not having the robots speak would betray the fanbase.[11] The first draft also had a battle scene in the Grand Canyon.[16] Spielberg read each of Orci and Kurtzman's drafts and gave notes for improvement.[13] The writers remained involved throughout production, adding additional dialogue for the robots during the sound mixing (although none of this was kept in the final film, which ran fifteen minutes shorter than the initial edit).[17] Furman's The Ultimate Guide, published by Dorling Kindersley, remained as a resource to the writers throughout production.[17]Prime Directive was used as a fake working title. This was also the name of Dreamwave Productions' first Transformers comic book.[18]
Michael Bay was asked to direct by Spielberg on July 30, 2005,[19] but he dismissed the film as a "stupid toy movie".[20] Nonetheless, he wanted to work with Spielberg, and gained a new respect for the mythology upon visiting Hasbro.[19] Bay considered the first draft "too kiddie", so he increased the military's role in the story.[19][21] The writers sought inspiration from G.I. Joe for the soldier characters, being careful not to mix the brands.[22] Because Orci and Kurtzman were concerned the film could feel like a military recruitment commercial, they chose to make the military believe nations like Iran were behind the Decepticon attack as well as making the Decepticons primarily military vehicles.[23] Bay based Lennox's struggle to get to the Pentagon phone line while struggling with an unhelpful operator from a real account he was given by a soldier when working on another film.[19]
Orci and Kurtzman experimented with numerous robots from the franchise, ultimately selecting the characters most popular among the filmmakers to form the final cast.[5] Bay acknowledged that most of the Decepticons were selected before their names or roles were developed, as Hasbro had to start designing the toys.[24] Some of their names were changed because Bay was upset that they had been leaked.[25] Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream were the only characters present in each version of the script.[11]Arcee was a female Transformer introduced by Orci and Kurtzman, but she was cut because they found it difficult to explain robotic gender; Bay also disliked her motorcycle form, which he found too small.[22] An early idea to have the Decepticons simultaneously strike multiple places around the world was also dropped, being used later in the film's sequels.[15]
In September 2007, Paramount announced a late June 2009 release date for the sequel to Transformers.[26] A major hurdle that was overcome during the film's production was the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, as well as possible strikes by the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild. Bay began creating animatics of action sequences featuring characters rejected for the 2007 film; this would allow animators to complete sequences if the Directors Guild of America went on strike in July2008, which ultimately did not happen.[27][28] The director considered making a small project in between Transformers and its sequel, but knew "you have your baby and you don't want someone else to take it".[24] The film was given a $200million budget, which was $50million more than the 2007 film,[29] and some of the action scenes rejected for the original were written into the sequel, such as the way Optimus is reintroduced in this film.[30]Lorenzo di Bonaventura said the studio proposed filming two sequels simultaneously, but he and Bay concurred that was not the right direction for the series.[31]
Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman originally passed on the sequel because of a busy schedule. The studio began courting other writers in May2007, but as they were unimpressed with their pitches, they convinced Orci and Kurtzman to return.[27] The studio also signed on Ehren Kruger, as he impressed Bay and Hasbro president Brian Goldner with his knowledge of the Transformers mythology,[32] and because he was friends with Orci and Kurtzman.[33] The writing trio were paid $8million.[27] Screenwriting was interrupted by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, but to avoid production delays the writers spent two weeks writing a treatment, which they handed in the night before the strike began,[33] and Bay expanded the outline into a sixty-page scriptment,[34] fleshing out the action, adding more jokes,[33] as well as selecting the majority of new characters.[35] The three writers spent four months finishing the screenplay while "locked" in two hotel rooms by Bay: Kruger wrote in his own room and the trio would check on each other's work twice a day.[36]
Orci described the film's theme as "being away from home", with the Autobots contemplating living on Earth as they cannot restore Cybertron, while Sam goes to college.[37] He wanted the focus between the robots and humans "much more evenly balanced",[38] "the stakes [to] be higher", and the science fiction elements more prominent.[39] Lorenzo di Bonaventura said that in total, there are around forty robots in the film,[29] while ILM's Scott Farrar has said there are actually sixty.[40] Orci added that he wanted to "modulate" the humor more,[41] and felt he managed the more "outrageous" jokes by balancing them with a more serious plot approach to the Transformers' mythology.[42] Bay concurred that he wanted to please fans by making the tone darker,[43] and that "moms will think its safe enough to bring the kids back out to the movies" despite his trademark sense of humor.[44][bettersourceneeded]
Before Transformers was released, producer DeSanto had "a very cool idea" to introduce the Dinobots,[45] while Bay was interested in an aircraft carrier, which was dropped from the 2007 film.[46] Orci claimed they did not incorporate these characters into Revenge of the Fallen because they could not think of a way to justify the Dinobots' choice of form,[37] and were unable to fit in the aircraft carrier.[47] Orci also admitted he was also dismissive of the Dinobots because he does not like dinosaurs. "I recognize I am weird in that department", he said,[48] but he became fonder of them during filming because of their popularity with fans.[49] He added "I couldn't see why a Transformer would feel the need to disguise himself in front of a bunch of lizards. Movie-wise, I mean. Once the general audience is fully on board with the whole thing, maybe Dinobots in the future."[50] Bay said he hated the Dinobots and they had never been in consideration for being featured in the movies.[51] It is the last film in the series to be distributed by DreamWorks.
For the third film, as a preemptive measure before the release of Revenge of the Fallen, Michael Lucchi and Paramount announced on March 16, 2009, that a third film would be released in IMAX 3-D on July 1, 2011, which earned a surprised response from director Bay:
I said I was taking off a year from Transformers. Paramount made a mistake in dating Transformers 3—they asked me on the phone—I said yes to July 1—but for 2012—whoops! Not 2011! That would mean I would have to start prep in September. No way. My brain needs a break from fighting robots.[52]
Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who had worked on the two previous Transformers films, declined to return for the third film, with Kurtzman declaring that "the franchise is so wonderful that it deserves to be fresh, all the time. We just felt like we'd given it a lot and didn't have an insight for where to go with it next".[53]Revenge of the Fallen's co-writer Ehren Kruger became the sole screenwriter for Dark of the Moon. Kruger had frequent meetings with Industrial Light & Magic's (ILM) CGI visual effects producers, who suggested plot points such as the scenes in Chernobyl.[54]
On October 1, 2009, Bay revealed that Dark of the Moon had already gone into pre-production, and its planned release was back to its originally intended date of July 1, 2011, rather than 2012.[55] Due to the revived interest in 3-D technology brought in by the success of Avatar,[56] talks between Paramount, ILM, and Bay had considered the possibility of the next Transformers film being filmed in 3-D, and testing was performed to bring the technology into Bay's work.[57] Bay originally was not much interested in the format as he felt it did not fit his "aggressive style" of filmmaking, but he was convinced after talks with Avatar director James Cameron,[58] who even offered the technical crew from that film. Cameron reportedly told Bay about 3-D, "You gotta look at it as a toy, it's another fun tool to help get emotion and character and create an experience."[59] Bay was reluctant to film with 3-D cameras since in test he found them to be too cumbersome for his filming style, but he did not want to implement the technology in post production either since he was not pleased with the results.[60] In addition to using the 3-D Fusion camera rigs developed by Cameron's team,[59][61] Bay and the team spent nine months developing a more portable 3-D camera that could be brought into location.[58] On the day of the film's release, Shia LaBeouf announced that Dark of the Moon would be his last Transformers film.
In a hidden extra for the Blu-ray release of Revenge of the Fallen, Bay expressed his intention to make Transformers3 not necessarily larger than Revenge of the Fallen, but instead deeper into the mythology, to give it more character development, and to make it darker and more emotional.[62] Having been called Transformers 3 up to that point, the film's final title was revealed to be Dark of the Moon in October 2010.[63] After Revenge of the Fallen was panned by critics, Bay acknowledged the general flaws of the script, having blamed the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike prior to the film for many problems. Bay promised to not have the "dorky comedy" from the last film.[64]
In February 2012, producer di Bonaventura stated that a fourth film was in the works, aiming for a 2014 release, with Michael Bay to direct and produce.[65] On the same day, Paramount Pictures and Michael Bay announced a June 27, 2014 release date for a fourth film.[66]Ehren Kruger would pen the script and Steve Jablonsky would score the film, as each had for the previous film.[67][68] The film is set five years after the events in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.[69]Shia LaBeouf did not return in any future installments. Mark Wahlberg was instead cast in the lead role as new character, Cade Yeager.[70][71][72] In November 2012, casting began to search for two more leads. Isabelle Cornish, Nicola Peltz, Gabriella Wilde, and Margaret Qualley were all considered to play Cade's daughter Tessa Yeager, while Luke Grimes, Landon Liboiron, Brenton Thwaites, Jack Reynor, and Hunter Parrish were all considered to play Tessa's race-car-driving boyfriend, Shane Dyson.[73] Bay announced on his website that Reynor would portray Shane and that the fourth film would start the next installment in the overall series; the film was to be a darker sequel to Dark of the Moon and have a different feeling.[74]Peter Cullen, who voiced Optimus Prime in the films, was to reprise his role.[75]Tyrese Gibson was in talks to reprise his role as Sgt. Robert Epps from the original trilogy.[76]Glenn Morshower stated that he was contracted for two films and he was to reprise his role.[77] It was later announced that he would not return until the next film.[78] With a budget of $165 million, filming was expected to take place in London between April and November 2013—once Pain & Gain, another film that Bay was directing, had finished editing.[79][80]
On January 8, 2013, it was announced that Reynor was joining Wahlberg in the lead.[81] On March 26, 2013, Nicola Peltz was cast as the female lead.[82] Bay confirmed that the movie was to be in 3D.[83] Bay revealed to Collider that actor Stanley Tucci had joined the cast, and that the film would be the first feature film to be shot using smaller digital IMAX 3D cameras.[84] On May 1, 2013, actor Kelsey Grammer was cast as the lead human villain named "Harold Attinger".[85] On May 6, 2013, actress Sophia Myles was cast in a major supporting role.[86] That same month, Chinese actress Li Bingbing and comedian T. J. Miller joined the cast.[87][88]
Actor T.J. Miller would be playing the best friend of Wahlberg's character who is a mechanic.[89] Also revealed were two Autobots who would have the following alternate modes—a black-and-blue 2013 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse named "Drift", and a green 2014 C7 Corvette Stingray concept named Crosshairs. A truck from Western Star Trucks would be Optimus Prime's new alternate mode for the movie.[90] Bumblebee's new alternate mode was revealed to be a modified vintage 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, which later transforms into a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro concept.[91] A green military vehicle (later confirmed to be Hound) and a white emergency response vehicle were also revealed.[92]
After Transformers: Age of Extinction, Bay had decided not to direct any future Transformers films. But in early January 2016, in an interview with Rolling Stone, he stated that he would return to direct the fifth film, and that it will be his last Transformers film.[99]Paramount Pictures spent $80 million on production in Michigan, in return for $21 million in state incentives, under agreements entered into before the state legislature eliminated the film office incentive program in July 2015.[100] In April 2016, Paramount hired cinematographer Jonathan Sela.[101] On May 17, Bay revealed the official title of the film to be The Last Knight on his Instagram account, where he also posted a production video showing a close-up of Optimus Prime's face with purple eyes instead of blue, and his face mostly discolored.[102] The official Twitter account showed a 19-second short video in morse code that translates to "I'm coming for you May 31".[103] On May 31, it was revealed that Megatron would return in the sequel.[104]
Bumblebee is a spin-off film and prequel centered on the Transformers character of the same name and set in the 1980s. The design and style of the film included both elements from the current franchise and influences from the 1980s Transformers: Generation 1 toyline.[105]
Principal photography on the film began in July 2017, in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. It was released on December 21, 2018, to positive reviews.[106] Following the film's critical success, Hasbro intends to continue and evolve the franchise similar to Bumblebee.[107]
In March 2019, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura announced ongoing developments for a follow-up to Bumblebee.[108][109] By January 2020, it was officially announced that a sequel to Bumblebee was in development with a script written by Joby Harold, alongside an adaptation of Transformers: Beast Wars with a script written by James Vanderbilt.[110][111][112] The film was then scheduled for release on June 24, 2022, that May,[113][112] while in November, Steven Caple Jr. was hired to serve as director on the project, which serves as both a Bumblebee sequel and Beast Wars adaptation.[114] In April 2021, Anthony Ramos was cast in one of the lead roles for the film, with Dominique Fishback in final talks to play the lead role.[115] The project will be a joint-venture production between Hasbro, eOne, and Paramount Pictures.[116]
Principal photography began in June 2021, with the official title announced as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, confirmed to be set after the events of Bumblebee.[117]Rise of the Beasts was scheduled for release in June 2022,[118] but was delayed to June 9, 2023.[119]
Future
Untitled The Last Knight sequel: Originally announced during the ongoing plans for a "Transformers Cinematic Universe" with a scheduled release date of June 28, 2019; the film was removed from Paramount's release schedule following the negative reception to The Last Knight.[120] By March 2019, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed that a script was being written for sequels to both The Last Knight and Bumblebee.[108] It was later confirmed that the film will not be a direct sequel to the previous installment.[121] In an interview in September 2021, when asked about the possibility of a film taking place after The Last Knight, actor Josh Duhamel had expressed interest in reprising his role as Colonel William Lennox.[122]
Untitled Angel Manuel Soto film: In March 2021, another film entered development directed by Ángel Manuel Soto, from a script written by Marco Ramirez. The plot will take place separately from films that have previously been released, while Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy, and Tom DeSanto remain involved in their producing roles. The project will be a joint-venture production between eOne and Paramount Pictures.[123]
Untitled Rise of the Beasts sequels: In February 2022 at the ViacomCBS Investors' Event, Paramount announced that Rise of the Beasts will be the first installment of a new trilogy of films.[124][125] In June 2023, di Bonaventura stated that future installments will progressively include elements and characters from the G.I. Joes prior to the event of a crossover with the G.I. Joe series. Director, Caple Jr. stated that discussions have included adding additional Transformer factions from other planets into the series.[126] The filmmaker expressed interest in further exploring the origins of the Transformers, with hopes of including more details about their creator Primus in the future.[127]
Shared universe connections
In March 2013, during the release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, producer di Bonaventura announced the studio's plans to develop a G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover.[128] On July 26, 2013, G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon M. Chu stated that he was also interested in directing a Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover film.[104] Despite di Bonaventura stating that a crossover was not in the immediate plans for the franchises,[129] he acknowledged that it was something they intended to do.[130]
In March 2015, Paramount hired Academy Award-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman to oversee and compile a team of writers, to pitch ideas for future films to expand the franchise into a cinematic universe. Twelve individual stories were written and pitched for the cinematic universe. Goldsman was tasked with developing a multi-part sequel storyline, along with prequels and spin-off films. A "brain trust" was commissioned to guide the productions of these stories, including Goldsman, Michael Bay, and producers Steven Spielberg and Lorenzo di Bonaventura. The team of writers who were hired included: Robert Kirkman, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, Zak Penn, Jeff Pinkner, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari, Christina Hodson, Lindsey Anderson Beer, Ken Nolan, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, and Steven DeKnight. Goldsman described the writer's room collaboration process, as a way to map out stories that can be further developed by the projects that are green-lit by the brain trust; stating: "...if one of the writers discovers an affinity for [a particular story], they can drive forward on treatments that will have been fleshed out by the whole room."[131][132] In August 2017, following the poor reception of The Last Knight which Goldsman co-wrote, the filmmaker officially left the franchise.[133] In December 2018, di Bonaventura stated that there will be further films in the series, while also acknowledging that the franchise will make some changes in tone and style due to the success of Bumblebee.[134] In July 2021, producer di Bonaventura and actor Henry Golding expressed interest developing a crossover film.[135][136]
In July 2021, a crossover film with the G.I. Joe film series was once again in development.[137] In June 2023, beginning with Rise of the Beasts, the two franchises began to share continuity. Producer di Bonaventura stated that in future films, actors from the G.I. Joe films may reprise their roles.[138] In July 2023, di Bonaventura stated that while the crossover would not interfere with the continuity of the franchise's first five installments, he believed that "continuity's overblown, because sometimes you miss a great idea."[139] In April 2024, Paramount announced that a crossover film is in development.[140][141]Derek Connolly was hired to write the crossover film in June 2024.[142] Di Bonaventura announced to Collider that the crossover will be the next film.[143]
Short films
Title
U.S. release date
Director(s)
Screenwriter(s)
Story by
Producer(s)
Transformers: Beginnings
October16,2007(2007-10-16)
Craig S. Philips, Harold Hayes Jr. & Michael White Jr.
Released separately from the first film on home release in October 2007, on DVD as a Walmart Exclusive; the short is an animated prequel, presented in the form of a motion comic, with narration from the character Bumblebee. Mark Ryan provides the voice-over work for the role, while the short depicts Megatron's arrival on Earth, as well as Archibald Witwicky's discovery 4 million years later. The short skips to 2003 with Bumblebee arriving on Earth, and Sector 7's pursuit of him.[144]
Sector 7 Archive (2019)
Released on the home video release of Bumblebee, two short films under a "Sector 7 Archive" label were released.[145]
Agent Burns: Welcome to Sector 7 (2019)
A short released as an in-universe orientation video, of Agent Burns addressing new hires.[146]
Sector 7 Adventures: The Battle at Half Dome (2019)
A short film, released in the form of a motion comic, takes place two years after the events of Bumblebee which depicts a fight between Bumblebee and Soundwave. When Sector 7 is attacked by Soundwave, Bumblebee arrives to protect them. During the ensuing battle, Soundwave demands that Sector 7 give back what belongs to the Decepticons.[147]
A 13-episode long web mini-series released in 2010 and set within and using the Transformers design from the continuity of the live-action movies. It was released on Hasbro's website and in 2011 re-released on Transformers' official YouTube channel.[150] The series was made by TG Studios in only three months.[151][bettersourceneeded] It is set between the events of Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon.[152]
Bumblebee's First Life on Earth (2019)
Bumblebee's First Life on Earth (バンブルビー 初めての地球生活, Banburubī Hajimete no Chikyū Seikatsu) is a 3-episode long retelling of the first half of the Bumblebee film with no spoilers. The series was released on Paramount Pictures' Japanese Twitter account.[148][153]
The first Transformers film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its groundbreaking visual effects, sound design, action sequences, story, performances, with criticism for the Transformer redesigns and product placement.[166][167] The second film, Revenge of the Fallen, received negative reviews, with criticism of its screenplay and runtime, but praise for its visual effects and sound design. The third film, Dark of the Moon, received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its visual effects and sound design, but criticism for its screenplay and runtime.[170][171]
The fourth film, Age of Extinction received negative reviews from critics for its runtime and direction. The fifth film The Last Knight received negative reviews from critics for its direction, thin plot, and overlong runtime.[174][175]
Bumblebee received positive reviews, with praise for its lighter tone, story, visuals, performances, voice acting, direction, action sequences, and faithfulness to the 1980s Transformers show.[176][177]Rise of the Beasts received mixed reviews, with critics calling it an improvement over the pre–Bumblebee films, but with some criticism of the runtime.[178]
Accolades
The franchise has been frequently praised and won awards for its visual effects and sound design. Michael Bay praised the crew and highlighted the importance of sound saying "I have like 2,000 people – through their artistry – making my dreams a film," Bay said. "The artistry of this sound group is just amazing. I love, love sound. It's 45–50% of the movies."[188]
In addition to the films, the film series has a promotional expanded series that is set both before and after the events of the films. This includes comic books, video games, and novels. While the novels are partially based on the films themselves, and the video games are not in the same continuity as the films, the comic books and graphic novels are in the same continuity and fill in several parts of the stories from the films. Also, Transformers: The Ride 3D is an amusement ride based on the film series. The ride introduced a new character, Autobot Evac, voiced by Dustin James Leighton.
G.I. Joe film series (Hasbro have teased a shared cinematic universe with the Transformers series)
Transformers One, a 2024 animated film and a standalone cross media prequel to the Transformers franchise.
Notes
1 2 The original Transformers toy line itself was developed out of two then-existing Japanese mecha toy lines — Diaclone and Microman — by Takara.[note 3] In 2006, Takara merged with Tomy to form a single company, Takara Tomy.
Transformers, is a media franchise produced by Japanese toy company Takara Tomy and American toy company Hasbro. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, such as vehicles and animals. The franchise encompasses toys, animation, comic books, video games and films. As of 2011, it generated more than ¥2 trillion in revenue, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
Transformers is a 2007 American science fiction action film based on Hasbro's toy line of the same name. The film is directed by Michael Bay from a screenplay by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. It stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who gets caught up in a war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, two factions of shape-shifting alien robots. The Autobots intend to retrieve and use the AllSpark, the powerful artifact that created their robotic race that is on Earth, to rebuild their home planet Cybertron and end the war, while the Decepticons have the intention of using it to build an army to take back their world by giving life to the machines of Earth. Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Megan Fox, Rachael Taylor, John Turturro, and Jon Voight also star, while Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving voice Optimus Prime and Megatron, respectively.
Alexander Hilary Kurtzman is an American filmmaker. He is best known for co-writing the scripts to Transformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) with his writing and producing partner Roberto Orci, and directing and co-writing The Mummy (2017). He made his directorial debut with People Like Us (2012), co-written alongside Orci and Jody Lambert.
Roberto Gaston Orcí is a Mexican-American film and television screenwriter and producer. He began his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman while at school in California. Together they have been employed on television series such as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. In 2008, together with J. J. Abrams, they created Fringe. In 2013, they created Sleepy Hollow alongside Phillip Iscove. Orci and Kurtzman's first film project was Michael Bay's The Island, and due to that partnership they went on to write the scripts for the first two films of the Transformers film series. Orci first became a film producer with 2008's Eagle Eye and again with 2009's The Proposal.
Jeff Pinkner is an American television and movie writer and producer.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line. The film is the second installment in the Transformers film series and the sequel to Transformers (2007). The film is directed by Michael Bay and written by Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman. Set two years after the events of Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen sees Optimus Prime, Sam Witwicky, and the Autobots allying once again in the war against the Decepticons, led by Megatron. An ancient Decepticon named the Fallen seeks revenge on Earth and intends to find and activate a machine that would destroy the Sun and all life in the process.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a 2011 American science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line. The film is the third installment in the Transformers film series and the sequel to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009). The film is directed by Michael Bay and written by Ehren Kruger. It stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand. In the film, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Sam Witwicky must lead the Autobots against Megatron and the Decepticons as they battle to possess powerful technology abandoned on the Moon, in order to restore Cybertron.
Transformers: Prime is an American animated television series based on the Transformers toy franchise by Hasbro that aired on the Hub Network from November 29, 2010, to July 26, 2013. The series focuses on the Autobots of "Team Prime", consisting of Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead, and their human allies as they attempt to protect the Earth from the villainous Decepticons and their leader Megatron.
Transformers: Age of Extinction is a 2014 American science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line. It is the sequel to Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) and the fourth installment in the Transformers film series. Like its predecessor, the film is directed by Michael Bay and written by Ehren Kruger. It stars Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci, with supporting roles done by Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Sophia Myles, Bingbing Li, Titus Welliver, and T.J. Miller. It does not feature the original human cast from the previous three films, and instead introduces a new human cast and many new Transformers, including the Dinobots. A struggling inventor and single-father discovers a damaged truck, which turns out to be a Transformer in disguise.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation is a 2013 American military science fiction action film based on the G.I. Joe toy line. It is the second installment in the G.I. Joe film series and the sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009). Directed by Jon M. Chu and written by the writing team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the film features an ensemble cast with Lee Byung-hun, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, Channing Tatum, and Arnold Vosloo reprising their roles from the previous film, while Luke Bracey and Robert Baker take over the role of Cobra Commander, replacing Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and D. J. Cotrona, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Stevenson, Bruce Willis, and Dwayne Johnson round out the principal cast. In the film, heavy machine gunner Roadblock (Johnson), along with the surviving G.I. Joes, exacts vengeance on Cobra for his intelligence and infantry specialist Duke (Tatum) and their comrades' deaths, after a Pakistan incident involving nuclear warheads in which the Joes become traitors.
K/O Paper Products was an American television and motion picture production company founded by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci c. 2004, after signing a deal with DreamWorks Pictures to rewrite the script of the 2005 film The Island.
G.I. Joe is a series of American military science fiction action films based on the toy line of the same name. Development for the first film began in 2003, but when the United States launched the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Hasbro suggested adapting the Transformers instead. In 2009, the first film was released, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. A second film, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, was released in 2013. A third film, centered on Snake Eyes titled Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, also serving as a reboot of the series, was released in 2021, and a fourth film, G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant, is confirmed to be in active development. A crossover film with the Transformers is also being developed.
Transformers: The Last Knight is a 2017 science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line. It is the sequel to Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) and the fifth installment in the Transformers film series. The film is directed by Michael Bay from a screenplay by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Ken Nolan. It stars Mark Wahlberg reprising his role from Age of Extinction, while Josh Duhamel reprises his role from the first three films, and Stanley Tucci and Anthony Hopkins join the cast. Inventor Cade Yeager is gifted a Talisman by a dying Transformer knight, and is soon recruited by an eccentric British professor to save the world from the impending threat of Unicron.
Di Bonaventura Pictures, Inc. is an American film and television production company founded in 2002 by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who is known for producing the Transformers films.
Bumblebee is a 2018 science fiction action film based on the Hasbro and Takara Tomy's Transformers toy line character of the same name. It is the sixth installment in the Transformers film series, serving as a spin-off and prequel to the 2007 film. Directed by Travis Knight and written by Christina Hodson, it stars Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, and Pamela Adlon, and features Dylan O'Brien, Angela Bassett, Justin Theroux, and Peter Cullen in voice roles. Set in 1987, Autobot Bumblebee (O'Brien), is sent to Earth and becomes friends with a teenage girl, Charlie (Steinfeld).
The Hasbro Universe refers to several shared fictional universes featuring characters from several franchises owned by toy and entertainment company Hasbro.
The following is a list of unproduced Michael Bay projects in roughly chronological order. During his career, American film director and producer Michael Bay has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell in "development hell" or are officially canceled.
Transformers One is a 2024 American animated science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line. It was directed by Josh Cooley from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and the writing duo of Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, based on a story by Barrer and Ferrari. Featuring the voices of Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm, the film is set on Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers, and depicts the origins and early relationship of Optimus Prime and Megatron.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a 2023 American science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line, and primarily influenced by its Beast Wars sub-franchise. It is the seventh installment in the Transformers film series and serves as a standalone sequel to Bumblebee (2018). The film is directed by Steven Caple Jr. from a screenplay by Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber, and Jon Hoeber, based on a story by Harold and James Vanderbilt. Michael Bay again serves as producer.
↑ "2017 Feature Film Study"(PDF). FilmLA Feature Film Study: 25. August 2018. Archived(PDF) from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
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